(This appeared in a slightly different form in Roots Web Review
on 07 May 2003.)

[Ed. Note: This particular thief seems to have gone out of business,
late in 2003. Someone may start again. I liked the description of the
flying pig so much that I keep the page here.]

Not everyone who sells things on the Internet is honest. There
are several legitimate subscription-based web sites for genealogy.
This is a list of illegitimate ones. Sooner or later you'll get an
e-mail offer from one of these people or someone running the same
scam. If you do, put one hand on your wallet and back away slowly.
They promise millions of names (sometimes billions), take your money
then give you links to RootsWeb, FamilySearch and the other free
sites. They change names a lot. Here's a list. The dates are the
first time I received a spam from the site. These are not
links, and I've put some spaces in for legibility.

Genealogy Giants.com (March 2003)

Genealogy Experts.net (December 2002) (Note the net; most are com)

Gen Seekers.com (August 2002)

Genealogy Experts.com (July 2002)

Gen Locator.com (May 2002)

Genealogy Developments.com (February 2002)

Family Discovery.com (August 2001)

How can you tell it is a scam?

The message comes from a Yahoo!, Hotmail, Juno or other throw-away
e-mail account.

They promise 5, 7 or 10 days free trial but ask you
for a credit card or checking account number.
(See below).

If you reply to the e-mail, your message either bounces or is
never answered.

The web site mentioned in the e-mail has no customer service mail
link, and no toll-free telephone number.

Self-Updating CD

The spam described below under "Despicable Tactics" has stopped, finally.
Now (14 September 2003) I'm getting mail from fambusinessllc @ yahoo.com
telling me about a wonderful site, www.genealogytechs.com. They say:

We would like to let you know about our exciting NEW Genealogy Techs
CD-ROM, the ONLY accurate self-proclaimed self-updating Genealogy CD
on the market!

This looks like the same scam in a new wrapper.

Despicable tactics:

About November of 2002 these folks started mining the Gen Forum and
Ancestry genealogy query boards. You will get a spam saying they
may have data you asked for on the SMITH board just last month,
and all you have to do is sign up for a trial subscription. Be warned -
they lie. That one word, may is all that keeps them from getting
convicted of wire fraud. I may have a pig that can fly. He
may be in the back yard right now, grazing in the high branches
of the apple tree like a hummingbird at a hibiscus bush.
If you give me $10 I will let you go out back and look. Don't expect me
or your $10 to be here when you finish looking, though.

Here are the names and addresses they have used, and the dates
I received the spam message:

Below:
I recieved this e-mail message five days after the article above came
out in RWR, from a lady who shall remain annonymous:

Gen Seekers is changing their tactics slightly. I was stupid enough
to sign for their free trial period and VERY FOOLISHLY gave them my
bank account information. I have now had to change accounts plus have
my bank try to trace the transaction. Please don't use my name . . .

Legal notice: The opinions expressed on this page, and the phrase
"Lying scumbag" on my home page are just that - opinions. The people
behind the business described above, that changes its name every three
months and its e-mail address every six weeks, may be honest people who
are providing a legitimate service.

My flying pig may be able to whistle, too.

Who ARE these people?

An Alert Reader, Janett Rennick, writes:
As to who these people are, visit
betterwhois.com.
I entered www.genealogytechs.com and found: